Safari
by Melora Maxwell
Summary: *Prequel/Sequel to Presents* Sometimes, not murdering your family counts as family bonding. Not murdering your family and discovering elephants exist...Soundwave's day is looking up.


A/N: Having finally gotten caught up on RiD, Transformers Ongoing, TAAO and Optimus Prime, I've realised that there is nowhere near enough fics involving Soundwave and elephants. Hence my attempt to remedy this.

Disclaimer: Everything here is the property of Hasbro, TakaraTomy and IDW. And John Barber deserves a medal for the elephant thing. Also, I've had to base some of this on the maps of San Diego Safari Park I could find online, the Absolut Elephant Database, and the maps of the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Any inaccuracies are my own.

* * *

 **Safari**

* * *

 **July 1984, San Diego, California…**

* * *

The mission was supposed to be a comparatively simple one.

From their base in the Pacific Ocean, there was very little the Decepticons could do to harness energy from their surroundings. Drilling for oil or gas would bear unpredictable results without proper scans of the ocean floor. Building a hydroelectric generator and converter would take time and energy they didn't have, and stealing fuel from either the Autobots or humans would only work for so long.

For readily available electrical power, which they could easily convert into energon, the only option was solar power. It would be easy to set a couple of diverted power lines into one of the larger solar thermal collectors in the Mojave Desert and run them into the shelter of the nearest mountains.

Unfortunately, simple was a dangerous term to use around any of the Cassettes.

Or…well, any of the Decepticons, really.

Trying to avoid the combination of the humans' security response units and Autobot patrols around the Daggett SEGS Plant in the Mojave Desert had meant that the infiltration team had been stuck for the better part of an orn in what could only optimistically be called a cave while they made their final adjustments to the solar collectors.

This had been an annoyance.

Three of the infiltration team members were Starscream, Hook and Scrapper; none of whom, as it turned out, functioned well in the desert heat, to say nothing of being able to hold a conversation for a breem that didn't turn into verbal sniping and juvenile sulking.

This had been a frame-deep irritation.

The other members of the infiltration team were his Cassettes. All of whom were deeply, unbelievably, bored.

This had been enough to make Soundwave want to tear out his own CPU and eat it.

Which probably explained his words shortly after his eighth attempt at psychically refereeing Rumble, Ravage and Laserbeak into a state of grumpy obedience.

 _If you all remain quiet for the next breem, we can go to a wildlife park of some form on the journey back to the_ Nemesis _._

… _ **Now behave before I abandon you all on Midway Atoll.**_

* * *

 _We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo/How about you, you you/You can come too, too too/We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!_

For what felt like the twentieth time that orn, Soundwave cursed whoever had decided to teach his most impressionable creation the lyrics to We're Going to the Zoo.

The smart credits were on his eldest and most belligerent set of twins.

Not least because they were actually sneaking into a safari park, not a zoo, but semantics only lasted so long around the Cassettes.

Soundwave carefully pinched the transmitter cords of the nearest security camera between his digits and transmitted a low-level EMP pulse, enough to knock out the rest of the cameras dotted around the complex, but not enough to take down any of the electrified fences around San Diego Safari Park.

The cameras deactivated with a descending drone, masked slightly by the sound of his Cassettes forcibly making their way out of his chest compartment and transforming into their alt-modes.

The Communications Officer shot one piercing Look at his creations as they assembled before him; the Look guaranteed to have them falling into something approaching parade rest.

Ravage sat bolt upright; Rumble and Frenzy slouched as much as they felt they could get away with; Buzzsaw was shooting a long-suffering look at his sister as she tried in vain to get Ratbat to stand to attention.

Or at the very least, stop singing.

 _/See the elephant with the long trunk swingin'/_

 _Ratbat…_

 _/Great big ears and a long trunk swingin'/_

 _Little brother…_

 _/Snuffin' up peanuts with a long trunk swingin'/_

Laserbeak shut her optics and inhaled deeply. _Ratbat, please…_

 _/And we can stay all day!/_

 _RATBAT!_

The little bat finally stopped his somewhat optimistic squeaking and looked rather hurt at his sister's tone.

 _But I was singing!_

Laserbeak jerked her head towards her creator, who now had his arms crossed over his chestplates, and who looked to be within half a breem of losing his temper.

 _Ooooh_.

Ratbat immediately fell silent, and shuffled into line, taking care to widen his optics to the exact point between I-Am-The-Beloved-Baby-And-You-Can't-Be-Mad-At-Me and I-Am-So-Cute-You-Just-Want-To-Eat-Me.

Even he knew that Soundwave's seemingly eternal patience had limits.

Soundwave cast a glare over his creations and sighed inwardly.

Good behaviour was possibly too much to expect, but respectable behaviour, and at the very least…

"No interfering with the animals, no kidnapping the animals, no killing the animals, and we meet back here in one Earth hour. Understood?"

All of the Cassettes nodded.

"Acceptable."

* * *

Soundwave flicked his fingers out in the universal gesture of go away, far away, and turned towards the map of the park as his Cassettes scattered.

He wasn't entirely sure why he had suggested the safari park, but for some reason, it was the only offering that would make all of his creations adhere to his command.

Perhaps they needed some R&R after being freed from their extended stasis lock following the collision of the _Ark_ and the _Nemesis_ , which had brought them to this strange new planet.

Perhaps they want to understand the bizarre and yet strangely intriguing florae and faunae of their new, albeit temporary, home.

Or perhaps (and sadly, this was the most likely reason), they just wanted to spend some time together and yet apart from the group without offlining each other.

He decided, in the rare absence of all his creations from his immediate vicinity, to indulge himself.

A quick glance at the map confirmed he was at the main entrance, with something called the Safari Base Camp before him, the Australian Walkabout and Asian Savannah to his left, and the African Woods to his right.

The lyrics of the song Ratbat had been singing came back to him suddenly.

What exactly _was_ an elephant?

* * *

 **55 minutes later…**

* * *

"Rav?"

No response.

"Raaaaaav."

"Bro, you there?"

Still nothing.

"You ain't dead, we'd feel it."

This was getting stupid.

Frenzy rolled his optics, cupped his hands around his mouth, and yelled for the fifth time running. "RAV!"

A bulky but still elegant black shadow detached itself from a branch and emerged from the trees above the Tiger Trail. Red optics glowed with irritation in the summer darkness.

 _WHAT!?_

Rumble leaned against his twin's shoulder and folded his arms across his chestplates. "About time, kittykat. What took ya so long?"

Ravage padded gracefully out of the trees and onto the main service road, pausing only to remove an errant leaf from his shoulder.

 _I was having a rather pleasant conversation with the captive felines in this area. Appalling accents of course, but perfectly comprehensible. Do you know some of them have lived all their lives within the gates of this park, just because humans have destroyed their habitats?_

Frenzy shrugged a shoulder. "We've all been online here, what, two Earth months, and from what we've seen, it looks like most of the squishies couldn't give a frag about anythin' or anyone that ain't them. Cats included."

The black and silver felinoid settled himself into a loafing position and shut his optics. _A rather foolish notion, one they may regret in later vorns._

"So says you, kittykat."

The blue Cassette glanced around. "Any sign o' the others?"

Ravage opened one optic. _There is a bat aviary in an area called Nairobi Village. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw are currently attempting to coax Ratbat out of said aviary. This may take some time._

"And th' boss? Where's he at?"

 _At the last check-in, he was progressing towards the African Plains area._

Ravage frowned slightly and closed his open optic. _I believe he is…_

The eldest Cassette fell silent. He tilted his head towards the south-west and let a feline smile slide across his faceplates.

 _Oh. Oh my._

A pause for a sparkbeat silenced the three Cassettes, followed by the overwhelming sensation of curiosity, amazement, and absolute delight.

Rumble finally piped up.

"Ok, so that—"

He patted his chestplates briefly.

"-That wasn't Batty tryin' t' flirt wit' some fruit bats?"

Ravage opened both his optics. _I rather think not._

He sniffed the air carefully, uncurled himself, and trotted off down the service road separating Nairobi Village and something called Elephant Valley.

 _Tell our be-winged siblings to follow in our lead._

For a few moments, all that could be heard in warmth of the July darkness was the chirp of crickets, and the bleating of the nearby goat enclosure.

Eventually, Frenzy elbowed his twin.

"What does 'be-winged' mean?"

Rumble just facepalmed.

* * *

He was certain he hadn't moved in almost half an Earth hour. But that was alright. Earth temporal measurements were infinitesimally small compared to their Cybertronian equivalents.

Besides, no amount of time would be enough to fully appreciate the life-forms he was observing right now.

Great grey quadruped lifeforms, almost the size of the average Cybertronian; certainly, they were larger than any of his Cassettes. Wide grey audial shields flapped in the summer breeze; movements which looked oddly like a primeval form of semaphore. Elegant white tusks, formed of what looked like organic bone, emerged from some of their faces, but all of them had the same strange grey, elongated proboscis; he had observed this to be used for drinking, bathing, and even communication of a form. They marched on bulky, oddly flat pedes, which led into rolls of grey, organic plating.

Wide brown and black optics, framed by thick lashes, adorned each grey face, with a world of wisdom and peace at the centre of each optic.

They had all stopped in what appeared to be their evening routines as soon as he had emerged from the service road, the eldest and largest members of the herd immediately moving in front of the youngest to protect them. They had flapped their massive audial shields and bellowed a warning to him: /Stay back, large one. We will protect our young with our lives./

He had understood it after running the terrified screech through his processors a few times. Oddly enough, it translated rather well into Ancient Cybertronian.

He had stood at the edge of the great paddock and transmitted a reply: /I come to observe, not to harm you. And I will never harm your young./

Most of the herd had turned away, tension evaporating into the summer air. Only the eldest, and from a quick consultation of the information boards, one of the matriarchs of the herd, Cookie, had stayed where she was.

/You are not one of the little humans./

He had felt slightly uneasy at that; why, he did not know.

A rush of energon to his processor suddenly gave him an idea.

/No. I am a…metal being. Alive like a human, but metal like your tracking tags./

The female raised her proboscis and flapped her audial shields. /You will not try to harm us?/

/Never./

The female stared at him for the span of a sparkbeat, and then turned away, after her herd.

His knee servos felt oddly shaky.

He managed to sit down under one of the trees covering the viewing platform and forced himself to remember how to ex-vent.

Such wonderful creatures…nothing like them existed on Cybertron, even in the Golden Age. So large and unwieldy at first glance, but a second glance showed their strength, their intelligence, the bonds of their family unit…

Soundwave decided, in that moment, that elephants were his favourite Earth creature.

"Boss?"

Ah. Rumble.

He turned away just long enough to acknowledge his three eldest creations as they made their way silently into the viewing area above the elephant enclosure and settled down within arm's reach of his kneecaps.

"You OK?"

Soundwave smiled under his facemask, and gently lifted Ravage, Rumble and Frenzy to sit in his lap. At the edge of his senses, he could detect his three fliers closing in on him and their siblings, their separate psychic bonds gently tugging at his thoughts.

"I am very well. Even more so for this."

The twins, with one shared look, immediately moved to sit so that Rumble was sitting next to his creator's left kneecap, and Frenzy on the right. Ravage stretched, then leapt up to perch on Soundwave's right shoulder, next to his cannon.

Laserbeak and Buzzsaw descended from the navy skies with twin screeches; the golden condor landing on his creator's left shoulder, while his scarlet sister perched on Soundwave's cannon.

Ratbat, bright of optic and covered in what could only be politely described as bat guano, immediately attached himself to his creator's chestplates and snuggled as close as he could manage, feeling the ever-present loneliness within Soundwave's spark diminish to something bearable. He twisted around to watch as the herd made its way towards the watering hole in the middle of the paddock and chittered with delight as the smallest members of the group charged into the water and flicked jets of water at each other with their snouts.

 _Are_ _ **they**_ _elephants?_

"Yes. They are most intriguing creatures."

 _Do you like them?_

"Yes. Very much."

Ratbat angled his head until he could stare up at his creator's chin.

"As much as you like us?"

Soundwave instantly knew what the little bat was angling for. He pressed a careful hand to Ratbat's frame, then gave the same warm caress to each of his creations.

"I believe they are my favourite Earth creatures which _your_ frames are _not_ based on. My favourites will always be Felidae, Neornithes and Chiropterae before you ask, little one."

The little bat chittered in happiness. _I know. But it's always nice to hear you say it._

Frenzy counted back through the Latin references and squinted.

"Wait wait wait; that only covers the birdbrains, the kittykat an' Squeaky. Whattabou' us?"

He and his twin leaned against their creator's kneecaps and glared at the ever-present red visor.

Soundwave chose not to rise to the bait.

Much.

"You two are my second-born pains in my aft and therefore unclassifiable."

Rumble shrugged. "Eh, at least we're unique."

Frenzy nodded. "Take what you get an' run; works fer us."

Soundwave shook his head and pressed his family closer.

He had managed to read the main information board about elephants before he had entered the main enclosure.

Native to Africa and Asia, with some small but significant differences between the two breeds. African elephants were rather more truculent; harder to manage and tame, whereas Indian elephants were somewhat more docile, easier to tame, and could live alongside humans with fewer fatalities than their African cousins.

As the stars rose above them, the sights and smells of the safari park closed around them in a comforting cocoon, punctuated only by the delightful sound of elephants trumpeting across the warm skies.

If there was ever a chance, some small opportunity to see these intriguing creatures in the wild, he decided he must take it, no matter the cost.

* * *

 **January 2004, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya…**

* * *

Frenzy squinted out from the shade of an umbrella acacia and grumbled just loud enough for all of his siblings to hear. "This has gotta be some form o' health violation."

Rumble didn't bother opening his optics as he stretched out next to his twin and leaned back against the tree trunk, causing it to creak alarmingly. "Explain how."

"It's daylight, it's hot enough t' bake th' energon in your lines, and I ain't taken a vent o' air yet without getting' some form of bugs in my valves."

In the branches above, Buzzsaw spread his wings out and squinted down at his elder brother.

 _Use the mosquito nets as Soundwave suggested, and you wouldn't be suffering._

"Cotton mesh ain't my style, 'Saw."

Ratbat, hanging upside down from the next branch over, opened one optic, giggled briefly, and wrapped his wings around his frame before returning to his nap. The golden condor rolled his optics and went back to sunning himself under the endlessly blue Kenyan skies, the warmth in the early evening air a pleasant change from the freezing temperatures of the Pacific Ocean. About 50 meters away and partially hidden by a rock formation, he could just make out the forms of his creator and his sister as they studied the solar converter's wiring.

Of his eldest brother, there was no sign, but when they had touched down on the grassy plains, Ravage had almost forced his way out of his creator's chest compartment and charged off towards the grasslands with a yowl of delight. Presumably there was something there which appealed to his feline senses.

A brief burst of pain shot through Buzzsaw's spark, enough to make him glance back at his creator. Soundwave bent over slightly and braced himself against the solar converter's control panel. He pressed a hand over his chestplates, and ex-vented slowly.

* * *

The pain was still enough, even after three weeks and an impressive amount of psychic discipline, to make his intakes stutter. But the cause of the pain, and how exactly the source of the pain had been created, he would not regret for a single second.

Not for the first time that day, he allowed his thoughts to wander for a brief moment, enough to muse on what his bondmate was doing at that particular moment, and how she was coping with the distance between them.

Laserbeak, perched safely on her creator's shoulder, let out a gentle warble.

 _You're thinking of Nightraider again, aren't you?_

Soundwave let his hand drop from his chestplates, and carefully leaned his cranium against that of the condor femme.

"Every moment when I think of the six of you, I think of her as well. And that equals more moments than I can ever count."

Laserbeak gently headbutted her creator's helm.

 _Save those words for her. I think she would like them very much._

Under his face-mask, Soundwave smiled. He keyed the final security codes into the solar collector control panel, twisted the repaired wiring back safely under the cybertonium-enforced casing, and booted up the collector's panels.

The midnight-coloured panels unfurled like a flower and turned towards the evening sun. The monitor showed the storage units almost a mile away beginning to fill with energy.

Soundwave turned away and marched back towards the acacia tree, the stealth shield for the solar collector falling into place behind him.

Mission complete.

However, they still had 12 hours remaining on this assignment, and until the planned retrieval time, Astrotrain was required elsewhere.

The Communications officer let his gaze roam over the savannah before him, and stood still for a moment.

12 hours to explore the Maasai Mara, a place he had only witnessed in the nature documentaries the Cassettes had been able to download. In the depths of his CPU, he could almost hear the comforting tones of Sir David Attenborough [1] as he studied the starkly beautiful plains before him.

Wildebeest, Thomson's gazelles, hyenas, zebras, hippos, crocodiles…so many different creatures lived in this area. But it was the Big Five, specifically one member of the Big Five, that he would dearly love to witness if a herd was nearby.

The African elephant.

Soundwave's love of elephants had been happily accepted and indulged by his creations, all of whom thought it was funny and/or rather sweet.

For those who thought it was funny, it hadn't stopped them from quietly donating Terran currency towards various elephant charities under a false identity, and it definitely hadn't stopped a certain set of twins, after finding out about elephant-created artwork, from purchasing one of said paintings and presenting it to their creator as a creation-day / 'does acceptin' this mean we're no longer in trouble for usin' the main computer to bootleg porn?' present.

The punishment for the latter had not been repealed, but the frankly obscene stream of credits into their accounts had probably made up for it in the twins' optics.

As had the sheer delight Soundwave had transmitted to all of his creations upon realising what exactly the gift was.

A rustling sound to the south distracted the Communications officer from his thoughts. The sight of a black tail peeking out from the tanned, swaying stalks was all the warning he received before Ravage bounced out of the tall grass, seed pods and stray stalks clinging to his plating and a feline grin on his faceplates.

"Your scouting mission was successful, I trust?"

Ravage accepted the gentle pat on the cranium with a purr.

 _Beyond what you would have believed, and more than you had hoped._

The eldest of the Cassettes transmitted his thoughts to his siblings.

 _Follow me and stay low._

Buzzsaw and Ratbat disentangled themselves from the acacia tree and took off into the wide blue yonder. Rumble and Frenzy took somewhat longer, both choosing to wrap themselves in mosquito nets and wielding spray bottles of citronella against the clouds of insects in much the same way humans wielded crucifixes against vampires, but with significantly less success.

* * *

 **30 minutes later…**

* * *

Frenzy made an obscene gargling sound and spat a congealed glob of energon and dead insects onto the parched earth.

"There is nothin' to bite, and yet we are bitten."

Ravage's optics burned scarlet in a patch of grass to Frenzy's left. _Oh, do shut up._

"Seriously, _how_ and _why_ are we bein' attacked by th' midgies? We ain't even organic!"

Laserbeak, still perched on her creator's shoulder, rolled her optics.

 _Because mosquitoes are attracted to warmth and CO_ _₂_ _emissions, the latter of which you produce plenty of._

Rumble squinted as his processed his sister's words. "…I'm fairly sure we're s'posed t' be offended by that."

 _As you would say, whatever._

"All of you, hush."

The four bickering Cassettes immediately fell silent as their creator's request. Soundwave was creeping forward towards the crest of the hill on his elbows and knees, the twin condors perched on his shoulders, Ratbat cuddled safely against Buzzsaw, and Ravage was silently flanking their left.

An odd basso noise was echoing around the valley, along with heavy thudding sounds and the irresistible psychic signatures of organic life.

Frenzy crouched down, low enough to have his helm covered by the dry grass, and shuffled forward. He passed Soundwave and his younger siblings, all of whom looked slight askance at his actions, and crept to the very top of the hill. He ducked even lower and scanned the base of the hill, careful to move as slowly as possible.

A wave of excitement radiated through the sparks of every mech and femme present.

"Stay low and come up here."

Ratbat carefully draped himself across the back of his creator's helm and made himself as small as he could manage.

 _What is it?_

Rumble cautiously shuffled up the hill until he was sprawled out next to his twin.

As he peeked over the crest of the hill, his own delight was almost tangible.

" _Flumps_." [2]

* * *

The evening sky was a stunningly crisp orange, bleeding into highlights of purple and pink, and the faintest suggestion of flame red. Faint wisps of cloud skittered across the skies, the fires of the setting sun reflected in their depths.

Before them, thirty elephants swarmed around the watering hole, the youngest exploring the clear water and spraying their playmates' backs, while the eldest of the herd kept a keen watch over all the compass points. The femmes kept their trunks raised and their tusks at the ready.

Soundwave had seen one too many nature documentaries not to be aware of how lethal an elephant femme was when protecting her family, especially younglings. Much as he wished to walk among the elders of the herd and greet each calf individually, he knew that it would be safest for him and his own family to remain apart, to observe but not to interfere.

Ratbat crawled over his shoulder and chittered in delight.

 _The one with the scraggly audials, is she the head creator?_

Soundwave studied the largest femme; as Ratbat had observed, her audials were somewhat frayed around the edges, and her tusks were some of the finest on display. There was a strength to her stance, one which suggested that this was not the first herd she had watched over, nor this her first set of calves.

"I believe so."

His youngest creation was silent for a few spark-beats as he studied the elephant cow. He squeaked to himself as he made an association with his comrades.

 _She's like Strika!_

The Communications officer made a small motion to silence his offspring, before the accuracy of his words sank in.

Obviously, there was the size and height, but more than that, there was the intelligence, the fierce protectiveness, the pride, the indescribable reading in her electrical field that translated to:

 _I am a creator. Do not test that love or loyalty. It is stronger than a sun, weightier than a mountain, and more lethal than the deadliest poison. And I will strike you down if you dare provoke it._

Strika held that love for Trypticon, no matter what she claimed otherwise.

He held that love for each of his creations, and he felt no shame in admitting it.

"She is. And she is just as powerful for it."

Rumble and Frenzy exchanged glances. The red twin caught his creator's optic band and smirked.

"So, should we be getting' you a set o' tusks?"

Soundwave refused to rise to the bait. Instead, he merely reached a navy hand across to touch his most rebellious creations on their helms.

"If they would protect you from the ills of the universe, then definitely."

Both of the twins fidgeted. Remonstrations were pretty much a daily occurrence for them, but the rare times when Soundwave broke through all of their pissy rebellions and acting out with love…

That was something they would never challenge.

Rumble stared up at his creator almost shyly. "…This worth the detour?"

The navy mech smiled under his faceplate. "More than you can know."

Frenzy tapped his chestplates and resumed his study of the herd. "We know."

* * *

Laserbeak and Buzzsaw, who had been loath to break the peace, suddenly interrupted with dual squawks.

 _All of you, hush!_

Soundwave immediately pressed his frame into the sandy soil and was gratified when he felt Rumble and Frenzy do the same. Ratbat snuggled tightly into his shoulder, and he suddenly felt Ravage's keen optics feeding critical information back through the link.

Knowing his youngest twins would not call a collective silence without good reason, he switched to telepathy. _What have you spotted?_

Hidden in a thicket of grass stalks, Ravage snarled through the link, his faceplates taut with anger. _Humans. Not the park rangers, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw have been tracking them._

 _Then who?_

The felinoid's sleek black and silver frame was almost indistinguishable in the dying light, but the growls he was producing were clearly audible to the little cluster of Decepticons.

About half a mile away, partially hidden by a cluster of spindly trees, he could just about make out a group of maybe a dozen humans, all bulky of frame, all reeking of fear and determination, their clothing rough and heavily stained with sweat and blood. They carried an alarming number of weapons; machetes, shotguns, rifles…

Soundwave's energon ran cold as he zoomed in on the leader of the group.

The humans were carrying chainsaws.

 _Poachers_.

He had heard of these particular beings.

Humans who were willing to kill a rare and beautiful animal for its pelt or its horns or its bones, hack off what was needed from a pile of corpses, and sell their ill-gotten wares on the black markets to other, wealthier humans. Wealthier, idiotic humans who had somehow decided that what they needed, to prove they were adults or to cure an illness that could be cured with antibiotics or simple rest, was the skin or flesh or bone of an animal that was a thousand times more deserving of life than they ever were.

And now they were here, trying to cull a herd of his most favourite Earth creatures, all for the sake of some tacky human jewellery and some dubious medicines.

A gunshot rang out, piercing the peaceful quiet of the night.

The matriarchs turned towards the sound of the gunshot, great grey audials flapping in fear. The babies charged out from the watering hole towards the safety of their mothers' bulks, trumpeting in fright.

Another gunshot rang out to the left of the herd. Switching to infrared, Soundwave could make out the movements of the poachers as they attempted to flank the herd, driving them back towards the watering hole. If they ended up on the muddy banks, they could get stuck easily, especially the babies. The matriarchs would use their own bodies to protect their young, and in doing so, they would provide the perfect targets for the poachers.

Soundwave's visor blazed blood-red.

He held up a fist, almost fully hidden in the tail-end of the sunset. With one look and a gesture, Rumble and Frenzy darted to the right. With another gesture, his twin condors took to the skies.

His final gesture was to Ravage. Ratbat rose from his shoulder with a squeak and readied his machine-guns.

 _All of you, follow my lead._

* * *

 **The** _ **Nemesis**_ **, North Pacific Ocean…**

* * *

Megatron pinched the edge of the leading photograph between his thumb and forefinger, and ex-vented with deliberate slowness.

In all fairness, it wasn't the worst security infraction he had ever witnessed.

The problem was, it was Soundwave who had claimed responsibility for said infraction.

And the aforementioned mech was standing before him, his Cassettes assembled either side, and none of them showing even the slightest regret for their actions.

"Exactly which part of 'repair and retreat' did you miss, Soundwave?"

The Communications officer stood his ground. "Orders; clear. Solar energon collector; repaired. Cassettes and I; retreated after 12 Earth hours. Necessity; to ascertain the solar collector was functioning correctly."

The Decepticon emperor kept his faceplates neutral. "Then would you care to explain to me exactly what I am seeing in this photograph?"

He flicked the photograph towards Soundwave. The navy mech didn't bother attempting to retrieve the paper from where it landed next to his pedes, and he knew only too well what was in the enhanced satellite image.

He was standing on a scrubby patch of grass, covered in muck and a not-inconsiderable amount of human blood. Rumble and Frenzy leaned against him, Rumble idly tossing a ball made of crushed machine-guns in his hands, while his twin was juggling three human heads and grinning manically. Behind them, the remains of a bonfire blazed, the streaks of white being the only hint as to what the kindling of this particular fire had been.

Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ratbat were all perched on their creator's shoulders, equally coated in gore and looking extremely proud of themselves.

Ravage, tail held high, was in the middle of dragging the last of the poachers' corpses into a messy pile next to the bonfire, blood decorating almost every part of his frame.

Next to the bonfire, a Decepticon faction symbol was burned into the ground, alongside the word 'Protected.'

"Image contents; result of successful repair mission and unintended protection detail."

Megatron looked askance. "You risked your creations and yourself for a herd of these grey Terran creatures."

Soundwave's visor brightened almost imperceptibly.

"Risk; negligible. Result; my family protected a family."

"Family?"

"Elephant younglings; present. Herd; unharmed."

Silence reigned over the bridge for a few moments while Megatron flicked through the remaining pile of satellite images. He was only too aware that Soundwave would not harm a family of any form, and would never allow a youngling - Cybertronian, human or otherwise - to be placed in any kind of danger. This also was not the first time Soundwave had faced a punishment for attacking anything that had put a youngling or a family, especially _his_ family, in danger.

Any other crew member would have been in the brig in a sparkbeat for disobeying orders. For one of his senior staff, there would have to be some form of proportional punishment.

He finally tapped his fingers against the armrest of his throne and met Soundwave's expectant gaze with one of disapproval.

"You and your creations are officially confined to base until we make our retreat from Earth. In addition, your private communication privileges between Earth and Cybertron are revoked until that time."

Soundwave stiffened.

Being confined to base was one thing, but the removal of his private communication privileges…

Nightraider was not going to be happy when she found out.

Megatron gestured towards the Cassettes. "You are dismissed. Go and get yourselves cleaned up."

The Cassettes exchanged a series of worried looks between themselves, but reluctantly departed. The Communications officer made to follow them.

"Soundwave."

He half-turned and caught the photograph that was flicked towards his head.

Megatron's face-plates appeared neutral to a normal observer, but to Soundwave, the corners of his mouth tilted just ever-so slightly upwards.

He nodded at the photograph.

"One for your collection."

Soundwave glanced down at the image and smiled under his face-mask.

* * *

One of the matriarchs of the herd had ventured back towards him after witnessing the massacre of the poachers. She had trumpeted a bellow of gratitude, before reaching out with her trunk to pat carefully at his arm plating.

He had reached out a tentative hand in kind.

The image on the printout showed a Cybertronian and an elephant touching hand to trunk, as the herd had watched with curiosity, and the Cassettes had watched with delight.

Soundwave had been struck dumb. Complete and total satisfaction had warmed his spark.

They had remained like that for a few minutes, until the elephant turned and trudged back towards her family, head high and calling proudly to the night skies.

* * *

No matter the punishment, for Soundwave, it was worth it all to protect a family.

He carefully tucked the photo into his subspace and followed his family towards the wash-racks.

* * *

END

* * *

[1] One of the loveliest sounds in the world is Sir David Attenborough narrating one of his BBC nature documentaries. I like to think Soundwave would go for the originals where elephants or anything to do with his creations are concerned.

[2] _Top Gear: Botswana Special_ , deleted scenes, James May alerting the cast and crew to approaching elephants around a watering hole in the Okovango Delta. It is frigging _adorable_.


End file.
